Periya Anjaneyar Temple, Ambur, Vellore District
From Vellore, a travel towards bangalore highway, less than one hour Journey place called Ambur an ancient Powerful Anjaneyar Temple is located. The History of the Temple is..
Indian mythology has an interesting story
linking Lord Saneeswara (Planet Saturn) and Lord Hanuman, the staunch devotee
of Lord Rama. The science of astrology says that the position of Saturn in an
individual’s horoscope is believed to have great effects on one’s life, though
temporarily. But many experts say that Sani (Saturn) is not a malefic planet,
contrary to the common belief, as He is believed to bring both good and bad to
a person, depending on various conditions like the positions of other planets
in one’s horoscope.
According to mythology, Saneeswara got trapped
by Hanuman once when the latter was on the hunt for the life-saving sanjeevani
herb to revive Lakshmana who was grievously hit by deadly weaponry from
Indrajith, son of the demon kind Ravana, in the war. Earlier, Ravana had taken
away Sita from Rama to his native kingdom in Sri Lanka. And Rama and his brother Lakshmana were at war
with Ravana. It was under this circumstance that Hanuman set out to get the
herb. Ravana’s rajguru Sukracharya came to know about this and wanted to
prevent Hanuman from getting the herb since once Lakshmana was revived, he
would eliminate the demon race. He advised Ravana to release Saneeswara who was
under the control of the demon (all the nine planets were also under the
control of Ravana then) to go and stop Hanuman. When Saneeswara approached
Hanuman who was returning from the Himalayas carrying the hills which contained
the required herb to revive Lakshmana, and tried to catch him, the clever
Hanuman caught hold of him unawares and put him under his feet instead. The wailing Saneeswara had no option except to
accept the conditions of Hanuman – that Saneewara should not harm those who
worshipped Lord Rama as well as him.
The story has been glorified in a temple in
Ambur in Vellore district which dates back to centuries. The 11-foot idol of Hanuman carved out of hard
black stone has Saneeswara under his foot. The idol and the temple are believed to have
been renovated probably in 1489, during the period of Krishanadevaraya of
Vijayanagar kingdom who then ruled this region. An inscription found in one corner of the
temple testifies to this fact. In 1976, the temple was taken over by the HR & CE department
of the State Government. In 1987, Maha Kumbabishekam was performed.
Interestingly, the main deity Hanuman is place
in one corner of the sanctum sanctorum facing south. This is considered a rarity in India. It is believed that, because devotees lit oil
lamps at this temple, it got rid of the harmful effects of Saneeswara, in one
stroke. The temple has been
drawing thousands of devotees steadily. According to the priest Sharma, if the coconut
that is placed for pooja in this temple is taken home and worshiped, it is
believed to fulfill one’s wishes. In the eastern corner of Ambur town, in a place called
Anaimadugu, a rocky foot print, believed to be that of Hanuman, receives
special poojas once a year during the Hanuman Jayanthi celebrations. It is said that Hanuman holding the Parvatha
hills in one hand and standing on Saneeswara made a big leap from here to cross
the Indian Ocean to reach Sri Lanka where he gave the herb to revive Lakshmana.
For More Info: Please visit the website / Click the photo
Travel Journey:
Distance from Vellore to Ambur 51.7 Km and less than 1km from Ambur Bus Stand / Ambur Railway Station to reach the Temple.